Strasbourg – Moldovan President Maia Sandu says joining the European Union is a matter of democratic survival for her country, which is under growing pressure from Russia and the unresolved conflict in Transnistria. In a joint interview, Sandu spoke to RFI and German broadcaster Deutsche Welle at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, where she received the European Order of Merit on Tuesday.
Moldova, one of Europe’s poorest countries, has stepped up its push towards joining the EU since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The former Soviet republic was granted EU candidate status the same year.
Moldova has strongly backed Ukraine, while trying to maintain its constitutional neutrality.
The country is under pressure from Moscow and dealing with instability linked to Transnistria, a pro-Russian region which split from Moldova after a short war in the early 1990s following the collapse of the Soviet Union – and where Russian troops remain stationed.
It is internationally recognised as part of Moldova but has long relied on Russian political, military and economic support.
Many Moldovans, including Sandu herself, also hold Romanian passports. In January, the Moldovan president said she would support unification with Romania if there were a referendum on the issue.
Last week, more than 30 countries pledged in Chisinau, Moldova’s capital, to create a special tribunal to prosecute Russian crimes linked to the war against Ukraine.
Sandu accuses Moscow of trying to intimidate Moldova and recruit fighters for the war in Ukraine, and insists that Moldovans increasingly see their future with Europe rather than Russia.
RFI/DW: You've just received the European Order of Merit for "steering Moldova decisively along its European path”. Are you still confident that Moldova will join the EU before 2030?
MS: I am very determined and confident that Moldova will become part of the European Union. It is our commitment to the people of Moldova to be ready by 2030. And we do believe and hope that the EU institutions and the EU member states will support our agenda.
RFI/DW: Are you not concerned that this process is taking too long?
MS: There is always a risk that some things will be delayed, but we are not losing time. We are implementing the reforms and not waiting for formal decisions. But of course, we also want those formal decisions to be taken.
RFI/DW: Would a two-step approach work for you – becoming a partial member before full membership?
MS: We are now working on full membership. This is a merit-based process. We are implementing the reforms for full membership. So this is the discussion we are having with the EU institutions and EU member states, and this is the process we are following at home.
RFI/DW: A major hurdle for Moldova on its path to the EU is Transnistria, the separatist region where Russian troops are stationed illegally. What will you do about that, and how can Moldova become an EU member despite this major problem?
MS: Of course we would like to solve the problem and we have been taking measures, including economic and financial measures. We see more people from the Transnistrian region coming for jobs on the right bank of the Nistru [the government-controlled side of Moldova] because they realised they cannot rely on Russia after experiencing an energy crisis in the middle of winter, when Russia stopped gas supplies.
There's still a security issue because Russia keeps troops illegally on our territory. But we do hope to solve this issue peacefully. This is our commitment – to solve the conflict peacefully. So we are working on this issue while also working on the reforms linked to our EU integration path.
RFI/DW: Vladimir Putin has signed a decree making it easier for residents of Transnistria to obtain Russian citizenship. You said this could be Russia trying to recruit soldiers to fight in Ukraine. What is your country’s response to this decree, and what can be done to prevent people from Transnistria fighting for Putin?
MS: We know that Russia is trying to threaten us, and this may also be part of the plan – to scare us. Russia has been doing this for a long time. We want to solve the conflict peacefully and we have made this clear again and again. We will not allow Russia to influence our internal and external policies through these threats.
We believe in freedom and sovereignty, and that is why we will make decisions that suit Moldovans, not decisions that suit Russia. The Kremlin does not value human life and we have seen this in Russia itself. We also know that Russia has been trying to recruit people from other countries to fight in Ukraine.
But we also know that people in the Transnistrian region do not want this. The proof is that when the war started, many young people from the region moved to the right bank of the Nistru because they were afraid Russia would send them to war. They do not want to be part of this crazy, brutal war. They want to live in peace.
RFI/DW: Does this mean you don't expect many residents of Transnistria to apply for Russian citizenship?
MS: I believe those who wanted Russian citizenship probably got it in the past. But I also don't see why people would want Russian citizenship these days. On the contrary, many people who did not have Moldovan passports have now obtained them. People want to be EU citizens, not Russian citizens.
RFI/DW: Many Moldovans have Romanian passports, including you. In January, you said that if there were a referendum, you would support unification between Moldova and Romania. What would be the advantages of such a scenario, and could it become an alternative if EU accession does not work?
MS: I want my country to be safe and I want Moldova to be part of the free world. It is becoming more and more difficult for small countries, especially in our region, to preserve and pursue their goals because of Russian aggression.
For us, being part of the European Union is the strategy for surviving as a democracy. And we hope we can achieve this sooner than later.
RFI/DW: Without becoming part of Romania?
MS: Well, we can join Romania in the European Union. And this is not only what we believe – most people in Moldova support EU integration. There are also people who support unification with Romania. Right now we are working hard to make Moldova part of the European Union and we hope this scenario will work.
If it does not work for one reason or another, of course we will consider other options. The main objective is to preserve peace in Moldova and keep Moldova part of the free world.
RFI/DW: Moldova recently said it would join the “coalition of the willing” in the event of a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine. What would Moldova contribute? Could it provide bases for European soldiers, for example?
MS: Moldova is a neutral country and we have to respect the neutrality set out in our constitution. But we have been helping with de-mining and we could do more in that area if needed. We have also supported the solidarity lanes [a network of alternative trade routes established in May 2022 by the EU, Ukraine and Moldova] and we could do more there as well.
We are still discussing this, but we want to help while also respecting constitutional neutrality. That means there are some things we cannot do, including sending soldiers.
RFI/DW: Moldova’s experience dealing with Russian troops could also be an asset to the coalition of the willing, since Russian troops are stationed in Transnistria.
MS: We have managed to keep the situation peaceful. We have avoided destabilisation that could have dragged the region and the country into war. But it is in Moldova’s interest, Ukraine’s interest and the interest of the EU as a whole to see Russian troops withdrawn from Moldova.
We have to work together on these issues.
RFI/DW: Do you think Vladimir Putin will one day stand before this court?
MS: Yes. Accountability is very important. Without accountability, these crimes against humanity risk being repeated.
It is our duty to make sure there is accountability and to make sure those responsible for what has been happening in Ukraine for more than four years answer for their crimes.
This interview was conducted by Daniel Vallot for RFI and Dana Alexandra Sherle for Deutsche Welle.
